Feederick k



(No Model.)

P. K. PITCH.

ELECTRIC INDIOATOR.

N0. 360,381. Patented Mar. 29, 1887.

W/Ziwsses:

UNITED STATES FREDERICK K. FITCH,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF NE? YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 360.381, dated March 29,1887.

Application filed October 29, 1886. Serial No. 217,514.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK K. FITCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Indicators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, which form part of thisspecification, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation outlining the apparatus and the necessary electric circuits, batteries, &c.; and Fig. 2 a detail of a portion of the same.

My invention has relation to electric indicators of that class wherein a series of two or more numbers or figures are indicated or caused to appear at a receiving-station, through the medium oi' electro-mechanical devices and electric currents-such numbers, figures, or letters indicating the station from which the signal is transmitted.

In carrying my invention into effect I provide a number of dials, disks, or similar devices (arranged suitably in an indicator box or case) having the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, &c., and operated each by an electro-magnet which, under the influence of a proper electric current, will effect a step-by-step movement of the dial or similar device, thereby successively bringing into View the numbers upon said dial, and by the successive operation of the several dials, disks, or other indicating devices,

of the series present to view a number corresponding to the number of the station or alarm-box from which the signal is transmit ted.

The particular mechanical construction of the indicator-box forms nopart of mypresent invention, and need not therefore be more particularly described.

In connection with the indicator-box above referred to I employ at the receiving'st-ation certain mechanical and magneto-electric devices, through the medium of which the electric currents from the alarm-boxes or signals (such currents being a succession of dots" and spaces produced by alternately making and breaking the circuit) are caused to efiect the proper operation of the indicator- (No model.)

dials or equivalent devices for the presentation of the desired combination of figures indicating the box or station from which the signal is sent.

My invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts of the receiving and translating apparatus; and it further consists in the combination therewith of the indicator-box and the necessary electric circuits, battery, &c. p

The devices for receiving the electric current transmitted from the signal-boxes comprise a clock-work or train of wheels actuated bya spring or weight and provided with an escapement for controlling the motion of the clock-work, an electromagnet in circuit with *the signal-boxes and through the motion of the armature of which the escapement devices of the indicator-box are governed, a commutator consisting of several sections mounted on a shaft to which rotary motion is com;

municated from said clockwork, one section of the commutator being appropriated to each electro magnet in the indicator-box, and suitable electric circuits, contact-points, batteries, 85c.

Referring to the drawings, A designates an eleotro-magnet of the ordinary construction communicating by a line, :0, with the signal or alarm boxes and by a wire, 3 through a bat tery, z, to ground. v

B designates an armature secured to a tongue, 0, pivoted at c, and provided with a retractingspring, F. Upon the back of tongue 0 is fixed a suitable contact, (I, insulated from the said tongue and opposed to a contact, d, on the end of a set-screw, D, At or near the upper end of the tongue 0 is arranged a rod, E, having a rounded or beveled head, 6, that bears against the tongue 0. Said rod E is supported in fixed arms or brackets F F and allowed free longitudinal motion therein, andat its end bears against an arm, 9, projecting from the side of a friction clutch or collar, G, which isniounted on one of the shafts of the clock-work, by means of which the commutator is operated, as will be presently described. This collar or clutch G is secured upon its shaft with,

sufiicient friction to move the rod E in its supports when the collar moves with the train, but is sufficient] y loose .to permit of its being ICO turned in the opposite direction by the rod B when the magnet A is energized.

H designates the escapement-wheel of the train and I the escapement-anchor. The latter is pivoted at i and is provided with a depending tongue, '5.

K designates a curved arm, pivoted at 7c and provided with an upwardly-projecting finger, k, which, in a certain position of the arm, touches the depending tongue 2" and stops the movement of the escapement, and a tooth, 7c", on its lower edge. At the end of the arm K a dependinglug, Z, is formed, beveled at one side, as at Z, and against this beveled surface the head 6 of rod E impinges when moved back by the friction-collar G, thereby elevating the arm and stopping the escapement, as before mentioned.

M N O designate the several sections of which the commutator is composed and which are mounted upon a shaft, P, which is one of the shafts of the train before referred to.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings the shaft P is rep resented, for better illustration of the circuits, as being at right angles with the other shafts of the train, and it will be understood that the shaft P of the commutator and the shaft upon which the toothed wheel R is mounted are one and the same.

The sections M N O of the commutator consist each of a metallic disk, having each aprojecting lug, m n 0, at one point and occupying, say, one-quarter of the periphery, and are secured by friction upon the shaft I, and arranged with their projecting lugs at different points, as seen in the detail View, Fig. 2.

R designates a wheel or disk, also frictionally secured upon the shaft 1? and formed with teeth m n 0, which align with the lugs m a o ofthe commutator-sections. These teeth m a 0 are adapted to catch upon a shoulder, 0 on the tongue 0 when the magnet A is not energized, and are also adapted to engage with the tooth 70 when the arm K is allowed to drop, but not with both simultaneously.

Arranged in proximity to the commutator are a series of brushes, m n 0", which are secured upon an insulating-base,p, and havebelow them a piece of insulating material, 1), which will permit of the brushes contacting with the lugsm a 0, but will limit their descent, so as to prevent them from touching the sections M N O at any other point.v The brushes m n 0" are respectively electrically connected by wires m n 0 with electromagnets 1 2 3, which operate the mechanism vfor turning the numbered disks hereinbefore referred to, and the electromagnets l 2 3 are in circuit by a wire, 4, through a battery, 5, to the contact (Z on set-screw D, and the commutator-shaft is electrically connected with the stop d on armature-tongue O by a line, 6.

Operation: Let it be supposed that the signalor alarm boxes in circuit with the line so are capable of transmitting a current with long and short breaks or interruptions, and that the receiving apparatus is at its norsignal 365 is complete.

mal position, the tooth m on wheel R resting on the end of armature-tongue G, and let it be supposed that the signal 365 is to be transmitted and indicated. closed at the box and a current sent over the line,the armature is attracted and the contacts d d brought together, thus completing a c1r cuit through line 6, commutatorsection M, brush m line at, indicator-magnet Z, llne 4, local battery 5 to contact (2. The indicatormagnet being thereby energized moves the dlal one step, bringing the figure 1 into sight. At the same time the rod E is forced back against and slightly turns the friction-collar G, and simultaneously allows the leverK to drop, the clock-work thereupon continulng to turn the commutator-shaft until engages with '6. Before the commutator has turned sufficiently to break circuit between the section M and the brush on", the'tooth it engages with the tooth n on wheel 1%, thereby stopping the commutator, but not the shaft P. WVhen the parts have assumed the above described position, the alarm-box mechanism breaks the circuit again, such break being, however, very short in duration, and only allowing the points cZcZ to separate and break the local circuit through the indicator-magnet Z, and thereby advancing its dial one step. Another break is now made at the signal-box, this time of sufficient duration to enable the armature-tongue to assume its normal position. The dial of magnet is advanced another step, and the fig ure 3 is displayed, and remains so until the The movement of the tongue 0 to its normal position permits the rod E to be pushed forward by the clutchcollar G, and the head 0 of said rod, contacting with the beveled surface Z of the lever K, raises the latter, thereby allowing the wheel R to turn until the tooth it rests on top of the tongue C, and immediately afterward stopping the clock-work by the contact of tongue 1" and finger k. The movement of the wheel R has brought the lug on commutator-section N into contact with its brush a, and the magnet 2 of the indicator-box is ready for action. The current through main line 00 is again made and broken the required number of times, in the manner before described, and the figure 6 is caused to appear by the action of indicator magnet 2. After figure .6 has been indicated, the tongue 0 is returned to its normal position, thereby preparing the circuit for indicatormagnet 3, by the movement of the dial, of which the figure 5 is caused to appear in the indicator-box, thereby complet- The circuit being 7 crease the number by increasing the teeth on wheel R, and correspondingly increasing the number of commutator-sections;

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. In an electricindicator, the combination, with an indicator-box and the signal-actuating magnets thereof, of a clock-work, a commutator having separate sections, each section being appropriated to one of said signal-actuating magnets, and an electro-magnet in circuit with a signal-box, and means, substantially as described,whereby the energizing of said magnet will allow the clock-work to move the commutator and establish a circuit through one of its sections and the magnet connected therewith, as set forth.

2. In an electric indicator, the receiving and circuit establishing device comprising a clockwork, a commutator moved thereby, an electromagnet adapted to govern the movementof the said clock-work,and contacts and circuits connected to the armature of said electro-magnet and leading to the commutator, whereby the movement of the armature will establish a local circuit through said commutator, substantially as described.

3. In an electric indicator, the combination, with a clock-work, an electro-magnet governing the motion of the same, and a commutator movable by said clock-work, of a toothed wheel on the commutator-shaft, the teeth on which contact with the armature-tongue of said magnetin certain positions of the same and thereby limit the movement of the commutator, substantially as described.

4. In an electric indicator, the combination, with a clock-work mechanism, a pivoted lever engaging the escapement of the same, an electro-magnet having a pivoted armature,a commutator revolved by said clock-work, a toothed wheel on the commutator-shaft engaging with the pivoted lever and with the pivoted armature, a friction-clutch arranged on one of the shafts of the clock-work train, and a rod adapted to be engaged by said friction-collar and bearing against the armature and pivoted lever, all constructed and arranged substantially as described.

5. In a receiving and translating device for electric indicators, the combination, with a commutator through which local circuits are established to the indicator devices, of a train of gearing and its motive power controlled by an electro-magnet which responds to interrupted electric currents and maintains said commutator in a certain position while the main-line circuit is rapidly broken and re-established and causes it to assume a new position when said main-line circuit is broken for a longer period,'substantially as described.

6. In an electric indicator, the combination, with the movable commutator and the toothed wheel R, of the clock-work mechanism, the

electro-magnet A, movable armature O, fric- 

